Accuser tells a trial that actor Gérard Depardieu groped her bottom and
breasts on film set
[March 27, 2025]
By SYLVIE CORBET
PARIS (AP) — A woman accusing French actor Gérard Depardieu of sexual
assault told a landmark trial in Paris on Wednesday that he groped her
buttocks and her breasts several times on a film set. Three other
accusers told the court they suffered similar gestures in separate
incidents.
Depardieu, 76, is accused of groping a 54-year-old set dresser and a
34-year-old assistant during filming in 2021 of “Les Volets Verts” (“The
Green Shutters”). He denies any sexual assault.
The third day of the trial focused on the testimony of the younger
plaintiff, who detailed three separate incidents. She said Depardieu
first groped her bottom when she was alone with him for a brief moment
as they were heading towards the film set.
“Out of the blue, he put his hand on my butt,” she said, adding she said
nothing because she was “under shock” and “petrified.”
In a second incident, she said Depardieu suddenly put both his hands on
her breasts: “I said ‘No.’ I was scared." She also described telling
Depardieu “no” during a third similar incident.
The plaintiff said she reported the issue to her direct manager, who
then alerted others in charge of the film production, prompting anger
from the actor.
She said she then “minimized” the issue because she wanted to continue
to do her job, adding she aimed at "handling it on her own, be strong."
She later decided to file a formal complaint out of solidarity with the
other plaintiff and because, she said, “I want people to hear the
truth.”
Depardieu repeatedly denied the allegations on Wednesday in court,
saying: “I’m not like that.”
“I think that maybe, I don’t know, she was wary because of my reputation
of being vulgar, crude, rude," Depardieu said. "But I’m not only that. I
still respect people.”
The actor also told the court that he is almost always accompanied by
aides on the film set, including his body guard, and suggested that he
would rarely find himself alone with a film worker.
The trial continues Thursday, with the verdict expected at a later date.
The actor faces up to five years in prison and a fine of 75,000 euros
($81,000) if convicted.
A witness says she attended an alleged assault
On Tuesday, Depardieu acknowledged that he had used vulgar and
sexualized language with the set dresser who accused him of sexual
assault. He said he grabbed her hips during an argument, but denied that
his behavior was sexual.
A film worker said Wednesday she attended that scene, describing the set
dresser as “stuck in-between the legs” of Depardieu.
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French actor Gerard Depardieu leaves for a break during his trial
for the alleged sexual assaults of two women on a film set in 2021,
Wednesday, March 26, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
“My brain bugged,” she said, "I thought: it’s not possible that I’m
actually seeing this.”
She said she realized she attended “an aggression” and reported it to
the film management. Days later, she asked the other plaintiff about
Depardieu’s attitude, leading her to detail the other incidents.
The Associated Press doesn’t identify by name people who say they were
sexually assaulted unless they consent to. Neither women has done so in
this case.
Three other accusers testify
Two women, a journalist and a former costume designer, testified that
they were sexually assaulted by Depardieu in 2007 and 2014 -- but one
didn’t file a police complaint and the other alleged assault was covered
by the statute of limitations.
A third woman, comedian Sarah Brooks, alleged that Depardieu put his
hand inside her shorts and inside her pants as they were posing for a
photo ten years ago. She said she pushed back his hand and “he did it
again.”
She did not file a formal complaint because she was 20 and felt she
could not speak up against the world-famous actor. Brooks has in recent
years publicly accused Depardieu of sexual assault.
Some expressed support towards Depardieu
This week's trial is the first time one of the more than 20 accusations
of misconduct against Depardieu has reached court. Some cases were
dropped because of a lack of evidence or the statute of limitations.
Some figures in the French cinema world have expressed their support
towards Depardieu.
French actor Fanny Ardant, who described herself as a longtime friend of
the actor, agreed his words may be rude and vulgar, yet said she never
attended any gesture she found “shocking."
“What I want to say in this courtroom is that I know that the world has
changed, that society has changed, that standards are no longer the
same," Ardant said.
"There are things we’ve tolerated that are no longer tolerable.”
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